With inspiration from @sciencehomecoming.bsky.social, I recently wrote an editorial in my hometown TN newspaper, the Herald Citizen, about DOGE actions to dismantle science agencies (link to read below). It's a VERY RED region of the country. How much so, you might ask? 1/4

Go right now, don't wait, and read Harvard's response to the government's demands. Everyone needs to fight. Remember Columbia caving got them absolutely nothing back. You can see the gov demands from a link inside Harvard's response.

view.hu.harvard.edu?qs=351b45ebf...

“Investments in science and public health are essential for the future of rural southern states like Mississippi.”

Read about my perspectives as a Mississippian and scientist in my recent OpEd : digital.meridianstar.com/The-Meridian...

There are basically two groups of students being deported:
a) those who have engaged in political speech, which has gotten the most attention;
b) those who have had minor infractions with the law like a speeding ticket, which is likely the larger group.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-attack...

There have been many lab leak articles in the media recently, but none had actual new data

In a new preprint, @zachhensel.bsky.social and I analyze early COVID-19 cases sequence data that have been overlooked so far.

These new data continue to point to a natural origin ▫️1/7
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

The latest NIH grant chaos:

NIH apparently sent stop-work orders to all *97* MARC and U-RISE programs in the country.

These programs support underrepresented undergrads interested in health research careers.

MARC dates to 1977. Over 48 years, the programs have supported thousands of students.

Some of the stats in here are really striking. Per one paper, federal investments in R&D account for at least a fifth of all productivity gains in the U.S. economy since World War II. And the societal return for every $1 invested in the sciences is *conservatively* estimated at $5.

Our genome encodes > 7000 microproteins that have been previously ignored in genome annotations. How do these microproteins impact tissue function? Here, we use an in vivo single-cell CRISPR screen to systematically explore microprotein function in the mouse epidermis. 1/9

This is horrible to post, but I may as well post it. We are essentially shutting down research operations in my group, which is focused on treatments for pediatric brain cancer. I’m a well funded investigator, and there’s no choice. Science can’t function without the stability of NIH

I will discuss this issue with anyone who wants objective #s and evidence to understand how academic finances work: why the attacks on NIH are causing irreparable damage to science, will bankrupt hospitals and medical schools, and will ultimately harm our entire country. Ask your Qs below!!

An SRO I have worked with on and off for 10+ yrs was fired. This person had almost 20 years of experience in their job and had cultivated an entire discipline by managing fair, through and rigorous reviews of grants across the entire field. How heartbreaking.

We are excited to announce a tenure-track or tenured faculty position in Computational Biophysics and Biochemistry, exploring the intricate molecular and cellular processes and the complex interactions of their macromolecular components. Join us in MB&B!

Apply now at apply.interfolio.com/162132

"FM -- no static at all!"

Thanks a million to @pkpd-babe.bsky.social for sharing an invite code with me and hundreds of other scientists!